Title: In the Seventh Month

Author: Lorien_Eve

Pairing: James/Remus

Rating: NC-17

Genre: Angst

Disclaimer: JKR owns the characters and setting in this story. Only the sex scene and flavored lube belong to me.

Author’s Note: This was written for the James/Remus FQF (Season 2).

Link: http://fallen.ryoshuu.com/fiction/fqf_02.php

Challenge #19 - While James and Remus are celebrating six months together, James lets Remus know he likes Lily. (Must be set in the Room of Requirement and must include a kiss).

Summary: James and Remus are celebrating six months as a couple. Remus is happier than he’s ever been, but James has a secret that will change their relationship.

Remus craned his neck around the corner, checking to see if the corridor was empty. He cursed himself for letting Sirius borrow the map. Remus didn’t need the map to find his way around the castle - he’d memorized the floor plans on all seven levels the previous year - but avoiding Filch and Mrs. Norris was something he hadn’t yet perfected.

James had the cloak, of course. After loaning it to Sirius, who left it at the top of the Astronomy tower and almost had it confiscated by Dumbledore, James forbid any of them to touch it. Remus was allowed to use it as long as James was around to supervise, and that often worked in Remus’s favor, because he and James were rarely apart. It was times like this, however, when Remus was on his own, that he wished Sirius hadn’t been so careless with the cloak.

Today was James and Remus’s sixth-month anniversary. James had told Remus to meet him in the Room of Requirement at eleven o’clock, then promptly strolled out of the common room. Remus hadn’t seen him since, and he thought it was odd that today, of all days, James was absent for so long. Knowing James, he was busy setting up a surprise for their anniversary. The Room of Requirement wasn’t new to them - they had used it a few times before - but it was mostly used for special occasions, like make-up sex after a big row, or after being celibate while Remus recuperated from his monthly transformation.

Remus crept cautiously down the corridor until he came to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He turned to the blank wall opposite it and closed his eyes, concentrating on what was necessary for the door to appear.

He walked passed the wall three times, murmuring it over and over. When Remus opened his eyes, the door had appeared. He had evidently done an effective job of concentrating; probably too effective, in fact, as his erection was obvious even through his loose fitting robes.

Remus reached for the brass handle and pulled the door open. James was sitting in an overstuffed chair just big enough for two people. He started when Remus walked in, but the surprise soon passed and James got up quickly and went over to embrace Remus.

Remus wrapped his arms around James’s shoulders and kissed him deeply.

“Hello, love,” James said as he pulled away. “You’re early.”

“Am I?” asked Remus. “Gryffindor Tower was dreadfully boring without you. I couldn’t wait.”

“No matter,” said James. “I’m glad you’re here.”

James smiled at him, the smile that caused Remus’s heart to race and his knees to go weak. James’s smile was the first thing that Remus had noticed about him all those years ago when he first started Hogwarts, and even after all this time, it had the same effect on him. Remus felt his cock twitch.

Looking over James’s shoulder, Remus said, “That’s new.”

Behind them was the biggest bed Remus had ever seen. It looked like a small island. The Room of Requirement provided them with something different each time they used it. There was always the mandatory lube in numerous flavors, stacks of fluffy pillows, and a collection of pornographic Wizarding magazines, but beyond that, nothing stayed the same. Once there was an assortment of sex toys, along with how-to manuals, another time there had been incense and rose petals, and once there had been handcuffs and shackles on the wall with a black whip lying coiled beneath it. They’d even had beds before, but nowhere near this big or this grand.

“Just what were you thinking about, James, to conjure a bed that size?” Remus asked with a smirk.

James laughed, but Remus thought he detected a hint of nervousness in it. Remus’s smirk faded and he studied James carefully. “Is something wrong?”

James took Remus in his arms and held him close. “Nothing’s wrong, love. I’m just glad you’re here.”

Remus hugged James tightly and kissed his shoulder. “It’s been six months,” he whispered. “Can you believe it?”

“It’s been a wonderful six months,” James whispered back into Remus’s hair.

Remus pulled away slightly so that he could kiss James. It started soft, but James opened his mouth against Remus’s lips, and as Remus let his tongue enter, the kiss became stronger and more aggressive.

“How about we make use of that bed?” Remus asked, prying his lips from James’s.

“Definitely,” James said, giving Remus that smile again.

Remus took James by the hand and walked with him over to the bed. The hangings were crimson, much like the ones on their beds in the dorm, only thicker and heavier. Remus pushed them apart to give James and him more room.

Remus pulled James to him and looped his arm around his waist. He closed the space between them with a kiss. James’s hands searched for the buttons on Remus’s robes, undoing them quickly. Snaking an arm between Remus’s open robes, James ran a hand up his bare back, then slowly down to his naked arse.

“On the bed, Moony. Now.” James’s voice was deep and raspy, and Remus couldn’t have resisted him even if he’d wanted to.

Remus shrugged the robes from around his shoulders and they fell into a soft puddle at his feet. He stepped over them and climbed on the bed, sitting on his knees. “Your turn, Prongs.”

James didn’t need orders. His robes soon joined Remus’s on the floor. He placed his hands on the bed, then a knee, and leaned in to cover Remus’s mouth with his own. Remus grabbed him by the face and pulled him down so James was lying on top of him.

“That’s more like it,” Remus whispered as he wrapped his legs around James’s thighs. “I’ve been wanting you all day.”

“Me, too, love,” James said as he lowered his mouth to Remus’s neck. He dropped light kisses, not pressing hard enough to leave marks. He felt Remus’s moan through his lips, and he moaned, too, savoring the taste and smell of his boyfriend.

Remus ran his hands across the contour of James’s back and down the smooth firmness of his arse. He placed a single finger at the base of James’s cleft and followed it upwards, teasing his entrance. James shivered beneath him, and Remus arched his hips so that his erection rubbed against James’s stomach. Remus moved his finger down again, circling James’s entrance slowly.

With flushed cheeks and swollen lips, James looked down at Remus. “Don’t make me wait,” he rasped against Remus’s mouth before closing the short space between their lips.

Remus wrapped his arms around James’s shoulders and pulled him deeper into the kiss. James’s mouth was hot and his tongue was quick as it swept the inside of Remus’s lips and coiled around his tongue. Remus clutched small handful of James’s black hair and thrust his hips again, this time making contact with James’s cock.

“I’m not going to last if you keep doing that,” James breathed, pulling just far enough away so that he could look Remus in the eyes.

Remus chuckled. “Where’s the lube then?”

“In the cupboard. Want me to get it?”

Remus nodded and James gave him a quick kiss before pulling himself away and walking over to the cupboard near the bed. Remus licked his lips unconsciously as he watched James. His body was perfect, not too big, not too small; just perfect. His legs and arms were toned from all the years of Quidditch practices and games. Remus’s hungry eyes took in his entire silhouette, from the messy black hair, the bright green eyes behind thin spectacles, and down to the trail of more black hair that led to an even thicker growth at his groin. There, between his legs, James’s cock stood dark and erect. Remus whimpered and his own cock twitched and he reached down to touch himself.

James must’ve heard him because he looked over and laughed. “No, Moony, that’s for me.” Turning back to the cupboard, he asked, “What’ll it be? Chocolate, strawberry, or licorice?”

Remus winced at the last one. “Definitely chocolate.”

James snatched the clear bottle from the shelf and crawled on the bed next to Remus, presenting him with the lubricant. “Need any instructions with that?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Hardly,” Remus said, smiling. He leaned in and ran the tip of his tongue across James’s lips, making them glisten in the low candlelight. James tried to take Remus’s tongue in this mouth, but Remus pulled away quickly. “I have something better in mind,” he said.

James understood what Remus meant, and he immediately rolled onto his stomach, curling his knees up to his chest and raising his hips. Remus hovered over James, supporting himself with his arms. Taking a piece of the salty skin between his lips, Remus sucked at the back of James’s neck, jutting his hips forward so that his cock slid between the cleft below him. James lifted his hips higher, hoping to coax Remus into entering him.

“Not yet, love,” Remus whispered into the dark fringe on James’s neck. His kisses formed a path down the curve of James’s spine, becoming wet, red circles that would turn purple by morning. Running his hands up James’s arms, moving up and around to his back and over to his sides, Remus memorized every dip and ripple of the landscape. His mouth reached James’s tailbone and he paused, breathing deep, taking in the heady smell.

Remus took the lubricant and poured it into his hands, then massaged James’s entrance with his slick fingers. He spread James’s cheeks and brought his tongue to the pink pucker between them. James shuddered at the initial touch and Remus gripped his arse more firmly. Flattening his tongue, Remus licked over the pucker again in a slow, single stroke. He groaned at the taste and the feel against his tongue, and he heard James do the same. With the tip of his tongue, he swirled around James’s entrance, deciding that the mixture of chocolate and James was the best thing he had ever tasted.

When his tongue darted inside and began twisting and curling, James gripped the sheets and thrust his hips backwards.

“I can’t wait, Moony,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I need you now.”

Remus’s cock was hard and throbbing, and he couldn’t remember ever wanting anything so bad. Then James lifted his hips even higher, fully exposing himself, inviting Remus to enter him, and Remus knew that that was what he wanted more than anything. He felt his cock jerk, and looking down, saw the thick pearly fluid leaking from the head. He needed James now, immediately, or he thought he’d lose his mind from simple, absolute desire.

Reaching for the lube again, he coated his cock, sliding his hands up and down the shaft in slow, careful strokes, afraid that he might come too soon. He held his cock with one hand, and leaning over James, supported himself with the other. He kissed James on the ear, and whispered, “You don’t have to wait anymore,” as he pushed the head in.

James tensed, but it was only for a passing moment, and soon Remus had pushed past the narrow ring, feeling himself enveloped by a tight, smothering heat.

“James…” he whispered, kissing his boyfriend’s arm, shoulder, and neck, moving slowly inside him, until both their bodies adjusted.

When he felt James relax, Remus began fucking him with short, quick thrusts, just barely allowing the head of his cock to stay in. James loved the abrupt, shallow stimulation, and Remus knew it. The first few times had been awkward and experimental, but they’d had months to learn their way around each other’s bodies, and now Remus could pleasure James as easily as he could pleasure himself.

When James constricted his sphincter muscles, Remus let out a loud gasp, followed quickly by a low growl.

“Remus…please, more…more,” James hissed into the sheets.

Remus moaned in compliance. “Anything you want, love,” he whispered in James’s ear. “Anything you want.”

He straightened up for better leverage, and grabbing James’s hips roughly, he pulled out slowly, then drove in quickly, being sucked into the tight heat again. He kept up the rhythm, thrusting rapidly with great force, driving deep into James. James shuffled clumsily beneath him, and though Remus couldn’t see, he could envision. He knew James was reaching between his legs for his cock, hard and dripping white at the tip.

“Mmm, yes…oh…oh, yes…” James chanted in a raspy voice.

Remus loved hearing the noises James made during sex, and knowing that he was the cause of the whimpers, moans, and screams only increased his desire and resolve.

He began thrusting harder and deeper than before, knowing the exact angle that would allow him to reach that spot that drove James mad. The tip of his cock swept against James’s prostate, and James threw his head back, calling out Remus’s name. Remus hit it again almost immediately, not giving James time to recover from the first. He pounded into James repeatedly until James was writhing and Remus was shaking. He closed his eyes, trying to maintain the steady speed while focusing on the sounds and sensations filling his ears and flooding his senses.

Amid the sharp slapping of skin against skin, Remus heard sharp grunts and deep groans, though he couldn’t tell if it was James or himself. His hold on James’s hips tightened until his fingernails were pressing into the flesh and he could feel the rounded bones under his calloused palms. With his entire lower body aching with the need to come, Remus thrust harder and faster, and after only moments, he felt the oncoming climax. It built up quickly, rolling and roaring, and at last crashed around him like white crests. He cried out over and over, and through the pounding in his ears and throbbing in his cock, he heard James cry out, too.

Remus collapsed on the bed and James rolled over to face him. Remus pulled James to him and wrapped him tightly in his arms. Their bodies were damp with sweat and their stomachs were sticky with the evidence of James’s orgasm. Remus looked at James, feeling wonderfully happy and complete. He laid his head on the pillow and smiled. Placing his leg over James’s, he leaned in to kiss him.

“That’s for another six months,” Remus said softly. Then with a grin he added, “And maybe even six years.”

James played with a stray stand of Remus’s hair, then moved his hand down to pick at the hem of the pillowcase.

“I need to talk to you about that,” he said.

“What, six years? I was only joking, James. Six years is a long time and anything could happen. Hell, we could both be dead in six years.”

“It’s not the years, Moony, it’s the months.”

Remus stared at James with parted lips. Years, well, that was one thing, but months?

“What are you playing at, James?” Remus asked, sitting up on his elbows.

“I’m not playing, Remus. I’ve thought about this a lot.”

”Then spit it out, would you? Don’t talk in bloody riddles.”

Remus was sitting upright now, staring down at James with dread and confusion.

“I…There’s…there’s a girl.”

Remus snorted. A bloody girl. Remus could compete with a lot of things. Sirius was gorgeous and probably the most sought after student in school, but James had chosen him, Remus, over Sirius. Remus never worried about James choosing another boy over him. But a girl! This was something Remus had never thought about before. While they had never actually talked about it, Remus assumed that James was gay. He’d been shagging him for six months, after all.

“A girl, you say?” Remus gave a bitter laugh. “I’d never have guessed that about you, James.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” James asked, sitting up quickly.

“It means that you’ve been buggering a guy for months now, students are taking bets on how long it’ll be before you dump me for Sirius, and the Slytherins spend all their free time coming up with new jokes about why you’re so good on a broomstick.”

James’s mouth dropped open in quiet surprise. He stared at Remus. “You mean they all think…” he whispered.

“’Fraid so,” Remus said sharply. Then his voice became soft. “I thought the same myself until…well, until now. Who is it, then? Who’s the girl?”

James showed a great interest in the seam on the pillowcase, but at last he spoke.

“Lily Evans.”

“Evans? Evans! Merlin, James, she hates you!”

“I don’t think she does anymore,” James said quietly.

“You don’t think? You’re throwing away what we have for something you’re not even sure about?” Remus asked desperately, hoping James would come to his senses.

“I am sure,” said James, avoiding Remus’s eyes.

“How can you be…” Remus started, but when James looked up at him, he found the answer in those green eyes. “You’ve been with her.”

James looked away, but nodded slowly. Remus bolted from the bed and started pacing the floor. He had expected a lot of things tonight - kisses and affirmations of love and sex so excessive that they’d both be sore for days. But this, he hadn’t been prepared for this.

Because of the bite he received as a child, he’d been reclusive, never making friends because he was afraid of their rejection if they ever found out his secret. When he enrolled at Hogwarts, his friendship with James, Sirius, and Peter formed almost immediately, and Remus discovered what it was like to have friends, true friends, that even after finding out about his affliction, didn’t shun him. Then when he and James moved beyond friendship and into a relationship, Remus was happier than he’d ever been in his life. Though James had yet to tell him that he loved him, Remus knew that he did, and even though that didn’t constitute a life-long partnership, it sure as hell seemed significant enough to last for more than six months.

Questions raced through Remus’s mind as he paced around the room. Why had James chosen Lily over him? Surely James hadn’t found such a connection with her so quickly. What did she have that made James want to be with her instead of him? How long had James been seeing her, and how many times had he been with her?

Running his fingers through his hair, he turned to James, and in a broken voice asked, “Why?”

James was doing up the last few buttons on his robes. He bent down to pick Remus’s off the floor, and offered them to him. “I started thinking about the future,” he said. “We’ll be leaving Hogwarts after this year. We have to make plans, to follow dreams. When I saw my future, Lily was in it.”

Then Remus understood. He had been a fool not to see it before. Maybe he had seen it before, faint and fleeting, but still present. James wanted a family. Remus had always known that. He had met James’s parents many times over the years, and he could definitely see why James admired and even envied them. James wanted a wife and children, and a house out in the country. He wanted a normal life, not a deviant love affair with his best friend who turned into a monster every month. Lily offered James everything that Remus couldn’t, and as much as Remus wanted to hate her for that, and hate James for wanting it, he couldn’t.

Remus held his robes in his hand, still staring at James, knowing but not wanting to accept what James had just told him. For the first time, the silence between them was awkward. Remus wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. In reality, there wasn’t anything he could do or say. He’d given James everything he knew to give him, had done things and said things to him that he’d never done or said to anyone before. Words and actions were useless now.

James was the one to break the silence. “I’m sorry, Remus,” he said, reaching out to touch him.

Remus moved away and began to dress himself. “Nothing to apologize for, James. What we had, it was just a fling after all, wasn’t it? Nothing serious.”

“I cared about you, and I still do, but…”

“You don’t have to explain,” Remus said, straightening his robes.

“I hope this won’t change our friendship. We’re still the Marauders, aren’t we?” James asked with a weak smile.

Remus wanted to smile back, but he couldn’t. “We’re whatever you say we are, James.”

He walked over to the door and opened it, taking one last look around the room. James watched him sadly, feeling like he should offer some sort of condolence but knowing that it was useless now.

“You can share the cloak with me if you want,” James suggested. “Mrs. Norris is always out this time of night.”

“No thanks,” Remus said. “That cloak’s for Lily now.”